Dashain Festival

As mentioned in my previous post, Nepal has been having another festival for the past two weeks.  This one called Dashain is the biggest national religious festival of the year and lasts for 15 days.  It's held right before the rice harvest (although some have started harvesting already) which is currently the month of Kartik here where the Bikram Sambat calendar is observed.  (Remember, now it's the year 2067 here.  We haven't decided if we want to be really old or really young!) 

School has had a two week holiday.  The kids told me this would be a fun festival because they would eat lots of good food and they would swing.  All over Nepal, bamboo poles were erected so the young and young at heart could swing!

We didn't swing.  Ramon was too busy and I got a little car sick on the drive I was able to go on with some of the other missionaries.  I was so happy to go on the drive (and had time because of the holiday).  We were on a most beautiful road and in these mountains not too far from the hospital:

We did stop at a swing and a couple of folks in the car tried their turn to the delight of the villagers.  However, I was a little woozy from the winding drive so I stayed in the car!  Those of you who know me well won't be surprised to learn that (naturally) while we were in the middle of the drive, I had to find a "pit stop."  No easy task.  We stopped in a little village that had a little row of shops and looked fairly promising.  Both of my camera batteries ran out (also naturally), so this is a picture of a very similar place.  The only difference is that this place has all the stores open, but where we stopped only had two stores open because of the holiday, and it was perched more on the side of the mountain.

Well, there was no toilet I could use, (they always say toilet here) but one man kept saying, "Toilet, Sari, toilet, sari."  I think he was hinting that if I had on a sari I could go anywhere and wouldn't have to be looking for a toilet.  Well, since I didn't have on a sari, eventually we had to find a place like this where we stopped and my friend held up her coat while I went back into the bushes.  It was a most beautiful place

with a view like this looking the other way:

Not bad, don't you think?

Well, anyway, during these two weeks, people visit relatives (many will travel long distances) and the buses were slightly (SLIGHTLY) crowded!!!

This one is blurry because it was zooming by me, but I wanted to show you how crowded it was!

We also saw lots of whole families on motorcycles!  The mother here got on just after I took the picture.  The father was so happy and smiling at me and the kids so, so cute!  I've seen several motorcycles with five people but never was able to get a picture.

They also shop!  

This little cutie captured my heart!  Her mom tried on several dresses, but once she got this one on, that was it.  She wasn't taking it off!  :)

Here is another little adorable "shopper" checking out the blankets!

For some families, this is the main (and maybe only) time they can get new clothes and shoes.

The celebrations commemorate the victory of the gods over the demons.  There are lots of songs, prayers, invocations, rituals, offerings, (different things on different days) and sacrifices.  Thousands of animals are slaughtered.  In my last post, I posted a few pictures of people selling/buying animals.  Those who aren't vegetarians eat the meat.  Poorer families will pool their money together to be able to afford something and then share.

Here is a picture of one of the temporary temples put up in Banepa just for the holiday.

 

At some point during the festival, the elders mix together rice, yogurt, and vermilion and place it on their families' foreheads for blessings.    

They also put barley sprouts in their hair for blessings.

There have been accidents, such as this one, which have kept Ramon and the other doctors very busy.

One patient this week was a lady from California who broke her arm while trekking.  We were the nearest hospital.  Somewhere they found a tiny clinic where she got a splint made from sticks, and then she had to hike out of the mountains for two days (with her Sherpa) until they got to a place where they could get an ambulance which drove for I can't remember how long.  Can  you imagine?!  I had some nice visits with her.  She left this morning with a smile on her face and stories to tell her grandchildren!  (Yes, she was a grandmother!)

Well, that's it for now.  Everything is back to normal now, at least until Diwali, our next festival coming up soon!  

This week our church is having a week of prayer, so please keep that in your prayers!  Thanks and have a nice day!